Governor’s Ex-Aide Fined in Ethics Violation
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Gov. Bob Taft’s former chief of staff pleaded no contest to violating ethics laws by not disclosing gifts from a Republican fundraiser embroiled in “Coingate,” a scandal over $13 million in missing state funds.
Brian Hicks, 40, who became a lobbyist two years ago, was fined $1,000 for the misdemeanor ethics violation by Franklin County Municipal Judge Scott D. VanDerKarr in Columbus.
Hicks, who could have faced as much as six months in jail, did not disclose two vacations at a luxury Florida Keys home.
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